Surely this selfishness is very vile in the eyes of God; God hath made us members of a community, the Universe is maintained by union, therefore the creatures will venture the destroying themselves in going contrary to their natures, rather then there should not be union in the world; that which they do in a natural way, we should do by the strength of reason, much more by grace. Philosophers say there cannot be a vacuity in the world; The world could not stand, but would be dissolved, if every part were not filled, because Nature subsists by being one; if there were the least vacuity, then all things should not be joined in one, there would not be a contiguity of one part with another. This is the reason that water will ascend when the air is drawn out of a pipe, to fill it; this is to prevent division in nature; O that we had but so much naturalness in us, that when we see there is like to be any breach of union, we would be willing to lay down our self-ends, to venture our selves, to be any thing in the world that is not sin, that we may help to a joining: O foolish heart, that in such a time as this art selfish, when the danger is public! As in a storm, when the Ship is in danger, if every Mariner should be busy about his own Cabin, dressing and painting that, what infinite sottish folly were it? and is it not our case? It were just with God to leave thee to thy self hereafter, if thou wilt look so much to thy self now. Ezek. 22. 16. And thou shalt take thine inheritance in thy self in the sight of the Heathen, and thou shalt know that I am the Lord: This is in a way of threat, as appears if you compare it with vers. 14, 15. Woe to us if God leaves us to our selves. I have heard of a story of a fool being left in a chamber, and the door locked, and all the people gone, he cries out at the window, Oh my self, my self, O my self, nothing else came from him but O my self. Such fools have we amongst us now, nothing but Self is in their thoughts, their hearts and endeavourt. The Apostles complaint, Phil. 2. 21. may justly ⟨p. 123⟩be ours, All seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christs: Their own things,1 that is, says Chrysostom, their pleasure and their security, their temporal commodities, their profits, their honours:
Surely this selfishnesse is very vile in the eyes of God; God hath made us members of a community, the Universe is maintained by union, therefore the creatures will venture the destroying themselves in going contrary to their natures, rather then there should not be union in the world; that which they do in a natural way, we should do by the strength of reason, much more by grace. Philosophers say there cannot be a vacuity in the world; The world could not stand, but would be dissolved, if every part were not filled, because Nature subsists by being one; if there were the least vacuity, then all things should not be joyned in one, there would not be a contiguity of one part with another. This is the reason that water will ascend when the ayre is drawn out of a pipe, to fill it; this is to prevent division in nature; O that we had but so much naturalnesse in us, that when we see there is like to be any breach of union, we would be willing to lay down our self-ends, to venture our selves, to be any thing in the world that is not sin, that we may help to a joyning: O foolish heart, that in such a time as this art selfish, when the danger is publike! As in a storm, when the Ship is in danger, if every Mariner should be busie about his own Cabbin, dressing and painting that, what infinite sottish folly were it? and is it not our case? It were just with God to leave thee to thy self hereafter, if thou wilt look so much to thy selfe now. Ezek. 22. 16. And thou shalt take thine inheritance in thy selfe in the sight of the Heathen, and thou shalt know that I am the Lord: This is in a way of threat, as appears if you compare it with vers. 14, 15. Woe to us if God leaves us to our selves. I have heard of a story of a fool being left in a chamber, and the door locked, and all the people gone, he cries out at the window, Oh my selfe, my selfe, O my selfe, nothing else came from him but O my self. Such fools have we amongst us now, nothing but Selfe is in their thoughts, their hearts and endeavourt. The Apostles complaint, Phil. 2. 21. may justly ⟨p. 123⟩be ours, All seeke their own, not the things which are Iesus Christs: Their own things,1 that is, says Chrysostome, their pleasure and their security, their temporal commodities, their profits, their honours:
- 1[Greek or Hebrew].〈non-Latin alphabet〉.
